I use the quotes above because the company isn’t really going green. Wal-Mart has launched an advertising campaign touting the environmentally responsible products it carries. The idea is to deflect attention away from the serious charges levied against Wal-Mart as a main contributor to local environmental problems. By now we’ve all seen the new “Mother Earth” campaign the company has launched. Individuals tell us of an environmentally friendly product they purchased at Wal-Mart, and what the benefit is. They then go on to say that if all Wal-Mart shoppers were to switch to this product, it would save x amount of y resource.
Unfortunately, YouTube drew a blank for me here. I actually had to venture onto the Wal-Mart website to find this guy. (I loathe and despise Wal-Mart, both as a green thinker, and as a former summer employee.) This commercial is nearly the same as one run at the same time last year, only Wal-Mart has added 20 million more customers. Have a look:
Know the only problem with this? Wal-Mart hasn’t done anything to make these products directly competitive with the distinctly less eco-friendly variety. A visit to the company website reveals that a 4pack of 23 watt energy efficient bulbs costs $7.89. They don’t admit to carrying any non-efficient bulbs. But, I live in NJ, so let’s check out Shop-Rite. Why, look at that! A four pack of 75-watt Shop-Rite bulbs retails at $1.89. Wal-Mart would surely not be under-cut, so we can safely assume that the price is comparable. Although it is true that the energy-efficient bulbs will last longer and recoup the initial investment in terms of energy saved, the average consumer will look at the price between these to and see a no-brainer. $8 for a pack of light bulbs is expensive. Unless the consumer has done their homework and is aware of exactly how much lower their electric bill will be, they’ll go for the cheaper alternative. Or take the water filters another commercial touts. The Pur water filter system will cost $29.48, while a 48 pack of Poland Spring water will run $6.34 at Sam’s Club (Wal-Mart’s website does not list food products.) If you calculate the savings of such devices, the Pur is obviously the better choice. But if you need to save money and keep your bills as low as possible, you’re going to go for the Poland Spring.
Essentially, it’s a hollow campaign. Wal-Mart shoppers who have the money may well take advantage of products with a higher up-front cost, but long-term payoffs. However, if you shop at Wal-Mart because you need to maintain a very tight budget, such products are beyond your reach. So Wal-Mart’s annoucement that they’re selling organic?
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Monday that it purchased more than 12 million pounds of cotton from farmers who are changing over from conventional to organic farming, to help boost the supply of certified organic cotton in the marketplace.
Wal-Mart said that this month, it will sell Faded Glory brand T-shirts made of transitional cotton for $3.50 to $6.00.
Ask yourself what the quality of the product is and where the cuts are coming in. If Wal-Mart bought this transitional cotton at certified organic cotton prices, the shirts should be much more expensive. One way or another, the consumer will pay the difference. Because Wal-Mart has shown that it’s far more interested in it’s bottom line than sustainability, despite it’s lofty rhetoric.
